This collection covers Eddie Cochran’s output from the early straightforward country recordings he made for Ekko in 1955 with the unrelated Hank Cochran, credited to The Cochran Brothers, with Hank Williams a notable inspiration, through the duo’s rockabilly recordings (try ‘Pink Peg Slack’s for a very early example), some more generic rock’n’roll betraying the strong influence of Elvis Presley and on to Eddie’s own well-known hits including ‘Summertime Blues’, ‘C’Mon Everybody’, ‘Somethin’Else’, ‘Cut Across Shorty’ and the posthumous success, ‘Three Steps To Heaven’, before ending with some fine and varied guitar instrumentals in some ways these three CDs constitute a fine exploration of the paler side of rock’n’roll in its first flush of popularity. ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ comes about half way through the second disc and the energy level, enthusiasm and sense of excitement immediately increases and things tend to stay that way until the end. Saxes crop up at the end of the second disc with the driving ‘Teenage Heaven’, though the remaining tracks tend to have simpler arrangements (or very occasionally the dreaded heavenly choirs and the like). Not included are any examples of Eddie’s prolific session work, but for many B&R readers this may be compensated for by the likes of Eddie’s versions of bluesy material such as ‘Hallelujah I Love Her So’, ‘Milk Cow Blues’ (most likely via Elvis) and the instrumental ‘Eddie’s blues’.
Par Norman DARWEN – BLUES & RHYTHM
Par Norman DARWEN – BLUES & RHYTHM
